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About the AKA Annual Award
2002 Edeiken Winner - Chuck Sigal
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We are writing to nominate Chuck Sigal for AKA’s highest honor, the Steve
Edeiken Award.
Chuck’s efforts to support kiting touch virtually every member of the Association.
The pun is intended.
For many years, he has been the AKA’s webmaster and has created and
maintained an on-line kite resource easily worth hundreds of thousands of dollars
if we were paying for the service.
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Chuck has provided the programming to maintain the AKA calendar - the
most through and used of its kind.
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Chuck has created the AKA E-Directory which allows kiters to find each other
on their home computers.
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Chuck has formatted the data process to rank all North American sport kite
competitors .
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Chuck has programmed the on-line AKA raffles which are largely responsible
for the Associations financial rebound.
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Chuck added reams of material and an on-line registration process to support
National Kite Month.
In short, the AKA web site is an astounding resource and it exists because Chuck
Sigal maintains it. If we need something, he programs it. If the system goes down
-- or someone sabotages a critical element -- Chuck drops everything and fixes it.
Our site is some complex now that we have negotiated additional resources and
“functions” to keep all the programs running.
Web design and support is not Chuck Sigal’s only contribution to kiting. He also
spent many years as chair of the AKA sport kite committee and now serves as
one of our two international representative assigned the arduous task of
negotiating global rules with our partners in STACK and AJSKA. He brings a
programmer’s exactitude to the process and his attention to detail is legendary.
But he is also a fierce advocate for fliers, judges, organizers, and above all, fair
process.
He developed the scoring program used by nearly all AKA sport kite competitions
and now is in the process of updating this essential tool to reflect international
rule changes.
He worked as the KTAI webmaster, building a trade webpage to match that
offered by we hobbyists.
Chuck was a founding member of the Bay Area Sport Kite League and watched
that effort blossom into a program for recruiting, teaching, and rewarding fliers.
He has served on the AKA Board through good and more challenging years. And
he serves as a contributing member of the AKA bylaws committee, knowing more
about Robert’s Rules than any kiter should.
In short, Chuck Sigal is a geek. He is the AKA geek. He is kiting’s geek. He is
*our* geek. He does the jobs that aren’t glamorous, or exciting, or usually even
fun. But without someone to do them, the rest of us might not be here.
We thank Chuck Sigal for his countless hours and commitment to kiting.
